Automatic stoker



Aug. 21, 1934. w H, FULTON AUTOMATIC sToKER Filed Oct. 25. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet l FIG. 2

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| l l n IL s lull Il* llllnl INVENTOR YWMHJM ATT Aug. 2l, 1934.

ATTORNEY Au8 21, 1934 l w. H. FULTCN 1,971,035

AUTOMATIC STOKER Filed 001'.. 25, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 1910111151110 '1,11'- v. via

l '0 N u -gfh- "a .IIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIII ATTORNEY Aug. 21, 1934. wv. H. FULTON AUTOMATIC STOKER Filed oct. 25, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR I ATTORNEY I ug- 2l, 1934 w.` H. FULToN 1,971,035

AUTOMATIC STOKER l Fil-ed Oct. 25, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 .Plas

ATTOR N EY Patented Aug. 2 1, 1934 UNITED STATEs PATENT; ornes AUTOMATIC STOKER William H. Fulton, West Grange, N. J., assigner to -Consolidated Car-Heating Company, Inc.,

For a detailed description of the present form of my invention, reference may be had to the following specification and to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view of .my Stoker;

Fig. 2 is an end view:

Fig. 3 isa-n enlarged plan partly in section;

Fig. 4 is a section across the three conduits;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section;

Fig. 6 illustrates the main drive and Fig. '1 the ash removal;

Fig. 8 is a diagram of control circuits.

My invention relates to a stoker suitable for domestic use by which coal may be fed automatically to the fire-pot of a furnace and the ashes therefrom be automatically removed. I operate the stoker by a motor which drives a conveyor that delivers coal to a chamber under the fire-pot and also keeps the fire-pot and the burning coal therein in slow rotation. From the said chamber a vertical conveyor, operated by the rotating pot, lifts the coal up into the pot-through the bottom. The ashes are trimmed from the top of the fire by a stationary scraper into an annular pocket around the outside of the firepot from whence they are removed by a conveyor at a level as high as, or higher, than the coal feed. By that means I avoid the difliculty of wet or damp ashes which a conveyor will not 'transport Even the flooding of a cellar up to the level of the coal feed will not interfere with ash-removal. The motor also drives a blower which delivers air into a chamber in the upper part of the furnace cast iron base and above the chamber into which coal is delivered by the conveyor. From said air chamber the air passes upward along the outside of an annular baille plate that surrounds the re-pot but is spaced therefrom and thence over the top edge of the baffle into the spacebetween the baille and the fire-pot from whence it enters, through a series of perforations in the fire-pot wall to the burning mass of coal within. lThe said space, inside the baille'` but outside the nre-pot, opens at its bottom into the coal chamber whereby such minor amount of ash as may escape out through the air holes in the fire-pot will drop down on the coal and be therewith reconveyed into the fire. I provide for automatic stopping of the motor in the event of excess heating and also in the event of an overload on the motor by clogging. I also provide for automatic changing from day to night conditions or vice versa at any predetermined hours. I moreover provide against extinction of the fire by over-long stops, This A is the air supply line; B is a drive shaft for giving slow rotation to the fire-pot; C is the line of coal feed; D is the line of ash-removal.-

The base or foundation for the furnace is, as shown in Fig. 5, formed by a box-like casting A2 seated on the oor. This forms the coal-chamber 7@ v into which coal is delivered, from the left, by the coal conveyor C2. Supported on A2 by a series of short pillars 5 is a second box-like casting A3 which forms the air chamber into which air is delivered, from the left, by the aforesaid air-supply line A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Through the bottom of A3 extends downward a vertical coal-conveyor tube A4 which at its lower end is open, on its left-hand side, to receive coal from chamber A2. The parts A2, A3 and A* are stationary. Surrounding A4, but spaced therefrom, is an upstanding flange Aforming an annular pocket from the bottom of which, on the left of A4, is an opening down into the coal chamber A2. On the upper edge of flange A5, rotate the conical 85 fire-pot B2 and the conical baille D2 which are spaced apart from each other by ribs d, d, placed at intervals between which air from chamber A3 may flow upward, and which are continued down-4 Ward by rings d2, d3 which are also spaced apart 90 by the saidribs d, d. A cross-bar E2 passes diametrically across the bottom of the fire-pot B2, in the spout E3, so as to rotate therewith, and this cross-bar passes through an opening in the upper end of the shaft of the vertical conveyor E by which coal from chamber A2 is lifted up through tube A4 into the fire-pot B2. The firepot and baille are rotated by means of a flat bevelgear D4 formed on the under side of a ring D2 which is connected, by ribs d10 to the aforesaid ring d2. The bevel gear D^1 is engaged by a bevel pinion D5 (see Fig. 3) on the end of the motordriven shaft B aforesaid. Outside of the firepot B2 and the baille D2, and rotating therewith, is a cylindrical sheet-metal casing G. On the stationary air-chamber A3 are pillars K which carry a stationary ring J that surrounds the cylindrical rotating casing G and forms the bottom of an annular ash pocket of which the cylindrical upright sheet-metal wall F is the outer 1.18

rides against the outside surface of the aforesaid v casing G. Overhanging F is a ring FJ secured to the outside rim of the fire-pot B2. Thus the ashes from the top of the :dre in the pot drop over the edge ofthe potinto the said annular Vthe motor-driven conveyor C. as clearly appears ash pocket. To facilitate such overflow of ashes from the fire into the ash pocket, a scraper P is secured to the wall F of the pocket and projects over the rotating fire-pot B2. Moreover, a series of radial vanes R project from the aforesaid ring Fa on the fires-pot into the ash-pocket, and sweep the ashes therein, as the fire-pot slowly rotates, forward till they drop down through a port (see Figs. 3 and '1) into the receiving end of the ash conveyor D.

The structure, as thus far described, is separable horizontally on the line between the stationary and rotating parts. Therefore it may be readily introduced into any standard boiler framework, such as is indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5. The fire-pot may be introduced first, and while temporarily upheld, the castings which are to underlie it may be inserted under it and the fire-pot then lowered to seat thereon..

. As is shown .in Fig. '7 the ash-conveyor D carries the ashes leftward from the furnace towards the motor till they reach the delivery opening D20, outside of which is a sleeve Dn that is provided with a spout and rotates easily on the conveyor tube. yBy turning this sleeve Dn untilvthe spout points downward, the ashes will be dropped into a suitable receptacle, such as a pail; or the pail may be left in position under the spout and periodically removed, together with the ashes accumulated therein, by lifting the spout and so turning sleeve D21. Fig. 4 shows that the ash conveyor D is on the level of the coal conveyor C, which means that the ashes are not, as heretofore, conveyed at the bottom of the stoker where they may become wet by a flooding of the cellar. Thus my stoker remains workable 'so long as it can feed coal to the fire;

The coal is fed along the conveyor tube C by -in Fig. 5.V The conveyor tube does not closely envelop the conveyor, but is spaced therefrom a considerable distance, particularly on the under side and opens into the aforesaid coal-chamber A2 in the base of the furnace. By this means any stoppage of the conveyorvC2 by packing of the coal in tube C is avoidable. always feed coal from the top of any layer of coal that may accumulate under it in the bottom of tube C. On the upper side of said tube is a receiving port C3 into which the coal is delivered continuously by achute Cls leading from the coal The motor z stands with its shaft z1 at right angles to the aforesaid' four lines of communication therefrom to the furnace Y. On said shaft Zl is a worm which drives a worm-gear wheel Z2 on the shaft B (see Fig. 6) and on the opposite end of shaft B is the bevel pinion B3 that meshes with the aforesaid horizontal bevol- Vpins with conical heads projecting from the face The conveyor will gear wheel n4 on the bottom of the rotating nre'-4 pot B3.

By this double rate of gearing a very i slow rotation of the fire-pot is obtained. The

worm-gear wheel Zz is not made fast v'on the shaft B, but frecto turn thereon. Adisc Z4 having a long sleeve is splined on shaft B so as to l rotate therewith although slidable longitudinally thereon. The disc Z4 is normally spring. pressed against the hub Zs of said wheel Z* and of disc Z4 enter conical pits in the face of the; hub Z3. Thereby the hub and disc will normally.A rotate together but will slip on each other, in the event of an overload on shaft B, and the disc, in that event, will be pressed against the force of its spring, longitudinally of shaft B-L e. toi the left in Fig. 6. Ihe tubular hub of said disc Z4 also carries at its left-hand end a hand-wheel Z5. By pulling hand-wheel Z' outwardly the worm-gear wheel Zz may be manually unclutched.. from the shaft B, or it will be automatically unclutched therefrom, as Just described. in thot event of an overload. Thus at any time they hand-wheel Z5 may be used to turn or oscillato shaft B, as in starting the fire, or to release any 10d clogging of coal or ashes which may be ythcf cause of an overload on the shaft. If the unclutching of B and Z2 should occur automatically.

will cause the latter to lift the arm Z of a bellcrank lever and thereby the other arm Z" of said lever will open the main switch of the motor Z and stop the motor. The details of the motor luit and controls will be described herein- On said shaft B, is a pinion X1 (see Fig. 1) which meshes with a' pinion X on the shaft of the coal conveyor C2 and said pinion X meshes, in turn, with a pinion X3 on the shaft of the ash conveyor D. Thereby the hand-wheel control of the shaft B, described above, includes a similar control of the two conveyors.

The controlling agencies for the motor comprise a motor stop responsive to an excess of heating in the system heated by the furnace herein described. It also includes thermostatic control of the motor for day conditions and a similar control for night conditions, a lower temperature being set for the night than for the day time. It includes, moreover, an automaticshiftover from day to night conditions or vice versa at predetermined hours, this being performed by a clock which may be kept automatically wound up by the motor. There is also a periodic startup of the motor occurring at fixed intervals and continued for a predetermined length of time, regardless of` the other controls. This periodic start-up, or revival, of the nre is superposed on the other controls in order to prevent the extinc-l tion of the nre by a too-long continued restraint thereof in the course of its ordinary regulations.

All the apparatus for the several controls is contained in a small box represented in Fig. 8. which shows a diagram of the circuits, by the back-board V.I In this diagram M is the motor and Q 'is' the control magnet which, when en` ergized, closes the motor circuit and starts the stoker into action. The circuit of this magnet Q, starting at the point a and ending at point b, is controlled by several factors. At 40 is indicated a pressure-diaphragm on the steam boiler which, at a predetermined pressure, lifts and breaks the circuit of magnet Q, thereby opening the motor circuit and stopping the stoker. At 50 l5 a 10W-degree thermostat, suitable for night "n its circuit wm seemed-.say at s @clock A. 14.-

by a clock circuit-closer 'I' which at-say 8 ocloclr P. M.-wil1 open it again and leave it open till the following morning. When the circuit of g thermostat 70 is open the control shifts over to thermostat 50, which may be left permanently in circuit lor, even if it should open its contacts at 50 degrees, the magnet circuit would still remain closed at thermostat 70, ln multiple with 50, assuming it to be in circuit, until the temf perature reached 'I0 degrees. This shows the advantage o! having two separate thermostats for day and night control respectively. The tips of the circuit-breaker T may be of adjustable length, as indicated, in order to adjust the hour at which it will close or open the circuit of the day thermostat 10. At S il a motor-driven circuit-controller which operates constantly through transmission 8', to close at regular intervals the circuit oismagnet Q by a route which shunts the pressure-controller and both thermostats and '10. Hence' controller S willenezgize magnet Q periodically-say levery hal! hour-and keep it closed tor a few moments. depending on the speed of S. resldless o! the control exercised by the steam pressure or the thermostats. Thereby the nre will be kept alive however much the agents 40, 50 and '10 may tend to retard it by keeping the stolzer inactive. At U is the emergency circuit-breaker inthe aforesaid circuit of magnet Q which, as heretofore described, is actuated by the bell-crank lever ZL-Z" when that lever is' operated automatically by the hand-wheel Z, or manually when said hand-wheel is used to work the stoker manually. A weighted switch lever carrying a contactplate normally holds that contact-plate in a position to close the circuit of magnet Q, but when kicked over its dead center by the said bellcrank lever, it breaks the circuit of Q and closes a signal-bell circuit on the opposite side. I do not intend to claim in the present application the detailed commotion of theseseveral control agents which act on the circuit o! switch-operating magnet Q.

I finally call attention to the connection between the intake side 'of the blower and the coal bin, by which any desired part of the air going into the blower will be drawn from the upper part of the binabove the coal therein. 'This insures that all dust or oating particles of coal occurring in the bin will be drawn into the furnace and not allowed to escape into the surrounding atmosphere.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A coal stokcr comprising a stationary air chamber, a nre'pot rotatably supported by said air chamber, said fire pot having perforated walls, a second chamber surrounding said pot and communicating therewith and also with said air chamber, a baille within the second chamber and surrounding said re pot, and means for delivering air into said air chamber, said baille being so arranged in the second chamber as to direct air from the air chamber into the space between the walls of the second chamber and baille and thence into the pot through said perforated walls.

2. A stoker of the character described' corn-` prising a base provided with a fuel receiving chamber, a fuel conveyor tube leading upwardly from said chamber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, a nre pot rotatively supported by said air chamber and having a flange rotatively engaging said conveyor tube, means for rotating said lire pot, and a conveyor within said conveyor tube so connected with said nre pot as to rotate therewith. i

3. A stoker of the character described comprislng a base provided with a-iuel receiving cham-j ber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, a nrc box rotatably supported by said air supply chamber and having a depending coaxial ange, a fuel conveyor tube coaxial with said ilre pot and engaging said flange. means for rotating said tire box, l

a conveyor within said conveyor tube, and means connecting the-nre pot and the conveyor above,

said conveyor tube so that said conveyor is rotated by said fire pot. j

4. A stoker of the character described comprising a base 'provided with a' fuel receiving chamber, a iuel conveyor tube leading upwardly from said fuel chamber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, a fire pot rotatably supported by said air chamber and rotatively engaging said conveyor tube, ka gear ring connected with said fire pot, means for applying rotative movement to said gear ring, and a conveyor within said conveyor tube so connected with the re pot as to rotate' therewith. i

5. A stoker oi' the character described comprising a base provided with a fuel receiving chamber, a fuel conveyor tube leading upwardly from said chamber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, a lire pot rotatably supported by said air chamber and having rotative rengagement with said con-- veyor tube, means providing a supplemental lair chamber around said nre box and comunicating with saidairsupply chamber, means for rotating said nre pot, and a conveyor within said conveyor tube so connected with the fire pot as to rotate therewith.

6.A stoker of the character described coniprising a base provided with a fuel receiving chamber, a fuel conveyor tube leading upwardly from said chamber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, `a

tire pot having an upwardly and outwardly ilaring wall, said tire pot being rotatably supported by said air chamber and also rotatively engaging said conveyor tube, a gear ring connected with said iire pot, a casing connecting the top of thev fire pot with said gear ring and constructed and arranged to provide a supplemental air chamber communicating with the air supply chamber, driving means engaging said gear ring, and a conveyor within the conveyor tube so connected with the fire pot as to rotate therewith.

7. A stoker of the character described comprising a base provided with a fuel receiving chamber, a fuel conveyor tube leading upwardlyV iai therewith, abeille member located in said chamber and surrounding said fire pot, means connecting the baille member and the fire pot so that they rotate together, means for rotating Isaid nre pot, and a conveyor within said conveyor tube so connected with the fire pot as to rotate therewith.

8. A stoker of the character described comprising a base provided with a fuel receiving chamber, a fuel conveyor tube leading upwardly from said chamber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, a re pot rotatably supported by said air supply chamber and rotatively engaging said conveyor tube, means providing a supplemental air chamber surrounding the fire pot and communicating with said air supply chamber, a stationary ring supported by said air supply chamber and having an outer wall coaxial to said supplemental air chamber, and so arranged as to provide an ash chamber, means connected with said pot for removing ashes from said ash chamber, means for rotating said re pot, and a conveyor within said conveyor tube so connected with the re pot as to rotate therewith.

9. A stoker of the character described comprising a base provided with a fuel receiving chamber, a fuel conveyor tube leading upwardly from said chamber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, a fire pot rotatively supported by said air chamber and having rotative engagement with said conveyor tube, means for rotating said re pot, a supplemental air chamber surrounding the fire pot and movable therewith, said supplemental chamber communicating with the air supply chamber, a stationary ring supported by said air supply chamber and having an outer wall enclosing said fire pot and spaced therefrom so as to provide an ash chamber, means carried by the re pot for removing ashes from said ash chamber, a scraper connecte-d with the outer wall of the ash chamber and resting on top of the fire pot, and a conveyor within the conveyor tube so connected with the fire pot as to rotate therewith.

l0. A Stoker of the character described comprising a base provided with a fuel receiving chamber', a fuel conveyor tube leading upwardly from said chamber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, a fire pot rotatably supported by said air chamber and having rotative engagement with said conveyor tube, a gear ring secured to said fire pot, driving means engaging said gear ring so as to rotate said fire pot, an annular wall connecting the top of said fire pot with said gear ring and constructed and arranged to provide a supplemental air chamber surrounding the fire box and movable therewith and having communication with said air supply chamber, a stationary wall supported by the air chamber and surrounding said supplemental chamber so constructed and arranged as to provide an ash chamber, means movable with the fire pot for removing ashes from said ash chamber, and a conveyor within said conveyorv tube so connected with the fire pot as to rotate therein, an outer wall secured to said ilre pot and spaced therefrom to provide a supplemental air dhamber communicating with said air supply chamber, a baille fixedly connected with said fire pot but spaced from and enclosing the same, said baille being located within said supplemental air chamber and so constructed and arranged as to deliver air from the supplemental air chamber into the pace between the fire pot and the bale and then e into the fire pot through the perforations thereof, means for rotating said fire pot, and a conveyor tube so connected with said re pot as to rotate therewith.

12. A stoker of the character described comprising a base provided with`a fuel receiving chamber, a fuel conveyor tube leading upwardly from said chamber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, a fire pot rotatably supported by said air chamber and having removable rotative engagement with said conveyor tube, means for rotating said fire pot, and a conveyor within said conveyor tube so connected with the fire pot as to rotate therewith, said fire pot being separable from said air supply chamber and said conveyor tube on a horizontal line.

13,'7A stoker of the character described comprising a base provided with a fuel receiving chamber, a fixed fuel conveyor tube leading upwardly from said chamber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, a fire pot rotatably supported by said air supply chamber in a. position coaxial with said conveyor tube, said fire pot having an opening in the bottom registering with said conveyor tube and having rotative engagement therewith, means for rotating said fire pot, a conveyor within said conveyor tube connected with the fire pot so as to rotate therewith, a blower connected with said air supply chamber, a motor operating said blower and said fire pot rotating means, and speed reducing mechanism between the motor and the re pot rotating means constructed and arranged to impart a slow rate of rotation of said re pot with respect to said blower.

14. A Stoker of the character described comprising a base provided with a fuel receiving chamber, a fixed fuel conveyor tube leading upwardly from said chamber, means providing an air supply chamber supported by said fuel chamber, a re pot rotatably supported by said air chamber in a position coaxial with'said tube and rotativlely engaging the tube, a power shaft having one end engaging said fire pot and constructed and arranged to rotate the same, an air duct having one end engaging said air supply chamber, a Vfuel supply duct having one end engaging the fuel chamber, said power shaft, said air duct and said .fuel supply duct being all extended in parallel lines, a blower connected with the air chamber, a fuel conveyor located in said fuel supply duct, a common motor for operating said blower, said power shaft and said fuel supply duct, and a conveyor within said conveyor tube air supply duct parallely with said shafts and communicating with said air supply chamber. a'

blower for said'air supply duet, said lblower and said shafts being allconstructed and arranged to be operated by said motor.

' WILLIAM H. FULTON. 

